Mulligatawny (Indian Vegetable Soup)

20. January, 2009

This soup is Anglo-Indian i.e. the influence is both from Asia and Europe. Originally, Mulligatawny means "peppered water" (Millagu means "pepper" and Tahnni means "water") however that does not mean that the soup is hot in flavour as it is actually very mild. Traditionally Mulligatawny soups are different between regions and while in some regions they are prepared very hot in flavour with lots of chillies, many prepare it with rice, chicken and even coconut milk, turmeric and vegetables like in the one below. I love mild soups and can't tolerate ones that burn my mouth. I once dined at a restaurant in Brick Lane, London (the famous Indian area). I ordered a Mulligatawny soup but the instance I put the first spoon into my mouth, my eyes started watering, my nose was leaking, I was red in the face and I started sweating through the scalp. I was SO uncomfortable and in my view, the meal was ruined since I could not taste a thing, my mouth was absolutely numb. My recipe is not one of those soups, fortunately. The soup is fine for those who are gluten intolerant since it doesn't have any wheat. It's also vegan and doesn't contain any milk. If you enjoy meat, you can add a little cooked lamb or chicken into the soup.

You will need a food processor (or a blender/hand blender) for this recipe.

Add chopped carrot, apple, potato, lentils and 1 litre water along with 3 vegetable stock cubes. Turn the heat up and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables become tender.

If you want a coarse texture blend half the soup in a food processor or blender. Allow the soup to cool down for 15 minutes and blend in batches. Or you can use a hand blender. Blend the soup for 1 minute for a smooth texture.

Tips

There are several versions of the original Mulligatawny soup out there but this one is very wholesome. You can find recipes with pistachios, eggplants, cashews, celery stalks, sweetcorn, grilled tomatoes and even meat so substitute some of the ingredients above for variation.

Serve with nice bread.

You can freeze leftover coconut milk. Freeze in an ice cube tray and use in soups, smoothies and more.

The soup is even better the next day once the flavours have really settled. Pour the soup into plastic containers and re-heat the next day.

For a thinner soup add more water.

You can use butter or olive oil instead of coconut oil

If the coconut oil is cold (in which case it becomes solid), place the jar in a bowl filled with hot water for a couple of minutes.